


Brian's Secret Boyfriend: The Prequel

by mrborns



Series: Nymphenfangs - The Supernatural Queen Series [1]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF, Queen (Band), Rock Music RPF, The Doors
Genre: Deacury but only towards the end, M/M, Maylor - Freeform, SeaNymph!Roger, Siren!Roger, Supernatural Creatures AU, an extra character because i love him too much, he is the lizard king, his philosophies and poetry is godly, jim morrison because why not, phat uwu for maylor content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2019-10-24 03:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17696417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrborns/pseuds/mrborns
Summary: How Brian and Roger met and how they flourished in a world that was seemingly against them. (Set before the one shot but can be read before or after)





	1. ONE

**Author's Note:**

> I've finally managed to complete this chapter! I hope that everyone enjoyed reading this chapter and will continue to enjoy further ones! This took a while to complete, but luckily I'm so much more motivated to do it now that I know what to actually write lolol. Hit me with your feedback!!

 

 

It was a late night. The hot sexy sky slipping away under the moon’s grasp, it was almost full. The same couldn’t be said about the empty physics classroom however, it had flickered away and succumbed to the darkness easily. There was only one remaining student there, currently staring up at the darkening sky with interest as it formed. His fingers twitched with an itch to play his guitar, but in the moment he was much more invested in the shining constellations. Just waiting to be gazed upon.

 

Brian May was always up for some stargazing.

 

Luckily for him, he was allowed up there on the second floor with the physics telescope without any issues. The teachers adored him that much. He always got top marks and was a respectable student, that and his height seemed to make bullies think twice before picking on him. That didn’t stop them from _trying_ , though. They always tried, but he always managed to keep himself away from all of that. He had learned that well enough in High School, University was easier to navigate anyway.

 

He reached out and took his telescope, bringing it to his eye. He stared for a while, brown eyes mapping out different stars and patterns before actually noting them down in his notebook. Before long he had a collection of different constellations, sketched out with diagrams and coordinates listed down. His page looked like a mess to him, but it was actually rather neat in terms of random research. Brian sighed, looking up at the almost full moon without using the telescope. He was in awe of the vast galaxy, the universe and every creature that ever existed. How was all of it possible, how did it —

 

His thoughts cut themselves off at an almost distant noise, a hypnotising whimpering that took him by surprise. Brian turned his head robotically to the direction of the sound, moving himself over to the opposite classroom window and opening it properly. The wind rushed in and blew his hair sideways, however it didn’t block his view. What view was there to see, you ask, well Brian definitely saw something strange and yet so incredibly beautiful that he couldn’t help but look. There, some distance away, was a crying figure. They were bundled up and scrunched up to the wall, with their head in their hands and resting on their knees.

 

Long blonde hair cascaded around their face, moving ever so slightly at every hiccup or whimper. From what Brian could see, it was a young man, trying to hide his vulnerabilities from the world. Brian felt for him, he could understand the silent suffering that the world tended to dish out without care. The crying man wiped his nose, standing unsteadily and sniffling. He…was so sad. It was almost as if he had a spider sense, he paused and his head snapped up to face Brian. And although they were far apart, Brian could see the red puffy skin around his eyes. But his eyes…bright cerulean blue, shining like iridescent opals.

 

He was captivated, but that didn’t seem to bother the man as his face shifted from one of surprise to anger as he immediately grabbed his bag (that Brian wasn’t even aware of) and ran off somewhere. His eyes were fixed to the spot the blonde was last in. It was almost like Brian was in shock, he wasn’t even sure how long he had stood there cluelessly until he felt himself shiver. He took a step back, looking over to the telescope with a small sigh. There was no possible way to see that man again, as much as Brian may have wanted to. He had been so pretty, even with tears in his eyes.

 

 

 

It was much colder outside than Brian anticipated. He had finished star gazing in the classroom, having put the telescope away in it’s proper place hurriedly. He didn’t know why he had become so worried suddenly, perhaps the poor crying man had made him feel like this. His appearance had immediately made Brian curious. Why had he needed to cry? What had hurt him? He wanted to find out, he felt bad for pretty much invading his space and making him feel more vulnerable. He…was also a very beautiful man…it only made Brian want to apologise more.

 

He began to head his way home through town, with only his casual clothes on and without a coat of any kind. Brian was letting the biting cold at him freely, with no way to make himself warmer. A particularly bad draft ran through his bones and he bunched up his shoulders, deciding that the next time he was going to star gaze he would at least take a thick jumper or a jacket. As he walked through the University’s on site dormitory, he could distantly hear the thump of music, it was always familiar to Brian.

 

The closer he got to his own dormitory, the louder the music got, the more the deep vibrating bass hit his soul. He sighed in relief when he saw that it wasn’t his dormitory that was lit up like a birthday party, but in fact the dorms next door. Still, he wouldn’t be able to sleep properly until three am or later. But alas, he was in no mood for a party and would rather be sleep deprived tomorrow than have a raging hangover. He walked past the heated dormitory, for a split second he wondered if the blonde man he had seen was in there, but he didn’t try to let himself think of it. He was already feeling more pulled towards the party, that crying man had really gotten to him, hadn’t it?

 

Brian headed over to his dormitory with a sigh, getting in and quickly running up to his flat. He unlocked his door and immediately pushed his hand onto his hair, not quite brushing through it but the act was enough to cool him down mentally. Why was he so calm now that he was home? It didn’t quite make sense to him, but he shrugged it off. He was just tired from all his coursework and generally just…living. It was too hard around there, even harder with Tim trying to get the band off of the ground, especially since he kept urging a busy Brian to meet their new drummer. He switched on the lights with a small tap, feeling the instant relaxation seep into his skin as he felt at home.

 

But as if he were cursed, there was a loud banging at the door. Brian groaned, opening the door to face a surprised Tim Staffell. Obviously he hadn’t expected Brian to open the door so quickly. “Hey, Brian, wanna go to a party?” Brian had given the other a look, a look of endless days of working and little freedom that didn’t even get through to Tim. “Come on,” He said, clapping him on the shoulder. “You deserve to loosen up!” He sighed, rolling his eyes.

 

“Fine,”


	2. TWO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian and Roger meet after their first awkward encounter, but things quickly turn sour.

 

Needless to say, the party was just as loud and messy as Brian had expected. Tim had shown him in quickly, the man almost ready to burst with excitement as he handed Brian some alcohol and ran off with only a few slurred words. Brian had only rolled his eyes, choosing to lean against the kitchen counter next to all the drinks and the obvious drugs that had been laid out. He didn’t even blink at the stink of weed, it was bound to be here and that was one of the many reasons he didn’t go to parties.

 

Overall, the party was rather bland. Girls and boys in their own cliques unless they were an obvious couple (in which they’d be snogging on the stairs or digging into one another in some bedroom) and everybody staying…quiet. The music was blaring, but everyone was just standing around with no real motivation to start dancing to the sound. Brian barely gave it any thought, it was a stupid dorm party, they were never too lively when everyone knew they had class tomorrow or some important assignment to work on. Which was exactly how Brian was thinking, he had assignments to do and reports to finish off. He had no time for hangovers.

 

But it seemed Tim had other plans, as he rushed up beside Brian with a familiar face in tow. The blonde man who had been crying. If Brian made a face, Tim certainly didn’t notice it as he was too busy grinning like a madman — though from behind him the blonde was looking at Brian with a strange mix of anger and shock. “Brian, this is- this is Roger!” He slurred, definitely more drunk than when he they had spoken earlier, perhaps Roger had given him more alcohol. “He’s our new drummer!” He didn’t give anyone time to respond but Brian sure as hell tried to, but alas Tim was too oblivious. "I’ll let you get talking then,” He blurted and darted off, assumably to use the bathroom. The only thing that could be felt with the absence of Tim was tension, what was he supposed to say? Sorry for casually watching you cry like an insensitive arse?

 

Roger hastily cleared his throat and brushed past Brian towards the alcohol, mulling over whether or not to take some or just leave it. Brian followed him with his eyes, he needed to say something. Although, apparently Roger had the same thought as he looked Brian dead in the eye with determination. “Listen, please don’t tell anyone about…that,” He seemed distant about it, which was understandable. “We’re in a band now, right? We can forget that and move past it?” The blonde was adamant and all Brian could do was nod along and go along with Roger’s wishes.

 

“Yeah, of course, but…are you okay, now?” Brian felt so overly concerned, he wasn’t even sure why himself, he just had this burning desire to make sure that Roger was alright. The blonde’s face morphed into anger, but was quickly washed away with a calm facade. Roger regarded him carefully, eyes glossing over his figure before coming back to his eyes again. With a sigh he turned away from him back towards the drinks. “Better than I was, is that good enough?” He was tapping his fingers on the marble surface, Brian noticed. He didn’t know why, (his confusion was the theme of the night, it seemed) but he was noticing a lot.

 

“How about we just…I don’t know — forget it and start fresh, yeah?” Brian suggested, catching Roger’s attention with his idea. Roger thought it over, giving him a short nod before holding out his hand and motioning for him to shake on it. Brian, in a slightly drunk mood, rolled his eyes automatically before he shook Roger’s hand. “Deal,” Roger said, a small smile replacing any remnant of the odd mixture of emotion that had been going around his brain. The unknowingly tense atmosphere softened instantly, a new comfort lay between them like a blanket. Brian didn't feel so worried about it now, though the image of his new friend’s crying face illuminated by the moon stayed at the back of his mind.

 

The night wore on, the party somehow getting lively as a group of proper pissed lads came in with their own vodka. Everyone had at least some of it that night. Brian could say, with at least some truth, that he was enjoying himself. He supposed the alcohol was getting to his head. Tim came back after a long while in the bathroom, only to down boatloads of vodka and continue to be a drunken mess. Roger got quite drunk too, well, that’s what Brian assumed. His speech occasionally slurred and sometimes he seemed airy and far away, though he disappeared upstairs somewhere later on. Brian, being the self-nominated non-drunk, was thinking that with that he should probably sober up and head home.

 

“Hey, Tim, I’m going home,” He said, words stilted and on the verge of a stutter. Tim whipped round as if he were offended at Brian’s statement. But he simply sighed and shrugged before mumbling something inaudible (Brian assumed it was an ‘okay’ or something). “Oh, wait, we need to find Roger,” Now Brian was the one to sigh, he really couldn’t be bothered to. But he thought of Roger, crying somewhere upstairs with nobody there to help him, the thought made him uncomfortable. “Alright, I think I saw him head upstairs…let me go look,” He pushed his way through a slowly thinning crowd and up the stairs, without even consulting Tim who probably meandered off someplace else.

 

Brian was immediately drawn to the door on his left, so he pushed it open without thought. “Roger?” He called out, hearing a quiet groan come from the corner. He wandered over, whispering for Roger again and he got an answer when he felt a warm body huddled into the corner. “God, you’re feverish,” Even in the dark he could see his new friend’s shivering and how he clutched his own clothes. _He looked like he had been drugged._ Brian felt concern sweep through him like a storm, now with a new anger settling in his veins. He needed to get him out of there as quickly as possible.

 

“Rog,” He spoke in a low tone, making him look up with a little bit of surprise and he looked close to passing out. “I’m gonna need you to stand up with me here, alright?” Brian didn’t expect much from him in that state, he was lucky that Roger was still awake and somewhat responsive. If he had been roofied like he suspected, he would surely pass out from trying to stay awake for so long. Roger grunted, shaky hands launching forward suddenly onto Brian who could only take what he could. Brian pulled him up gently, putting an arm around his shoulders and getting a light funny feeling when Roger did the same to stabilise himself. Brian began to walk forward slowly, but Roger was happy enough to pull him forward.

 

“M’not letting you do all the ‘eavy lifting,” He said, teeth clenched as they went a little bit faster. Brian thought it wasn’t exactly the best option, but at least they were getting out faster. Needless to say, they hauled ass out of the party. Some people stared as Roger hissed and cursed under his breath as they moved closer to the door. Tim had completely vanished, Brian didn’t care too much. He was busy trying to help poor Roger. Fresh air surrounded them suddenly and Roger hissed out a curse, clutching harder onto Brian (who was standing in as a personal stress ball currently).

 

“My dorm is just over there,” Brian said and finally they arrived there in what felt like hours. The door was opened fast and Brian went to help Roger onto the sofa, but he pushed back. “No, in the ‘athroom,” He was heavily breathing by now and it was only adding to Brian’s worry. He swallowed and did as asked, anyway. Roger didn’t seem to be as distressed when they entered the bathroom, he immediately removed his shirt and jeans — thoroughly confusing the hell out of Brian. Roger didn’t even glance at him however, opting to strip until he was shivering in boxers. He climbed into the bath and laid down, at an angle with his head off to the side of the tap. It was…odd…but Brian decided not to question it.

 

“Tap,” He muttered, the vulnerability in his tone left Brian confident that Roger had some inkling that this had happened before. He turned on the hot and cold taps, letting lukewarm water pool around in the bath. Roger stopped shivering, all tension gone from his body as soon as the water began to really get there. He looked over to Brian with so much appreciation, there didn’t need to be words for him to understand what Roger was saying. “Bri,” He huffed, eyelids half closed and forehead sweaty, he was so drowsy. “M’sorry,” He slurred out and Brian could only kneel down properly next to the bath and peer over at him.

 

“You didn’t — you didn’t do anything,” He said firmly, though he intended to be comforting still. “Not for this state, you goof,” His voice was scratchy, but he definitely sounded better with the steam coming up around them from the growing hotter water. “For — ah,” He cursed, face contorting in pain and discomfort and Brian narrowed his eyes. Was he hurt too? _Oh god, what if somebody had jumped him and forced down drugs? What if they had_ — His own mind cut him off as Roger returned to speak.

 

“Please stay, through this,” Brian nodded furiously, Roger grinned but faltered and suddenly he was covering his mouth up to stop from whimpering. Brian was internally panicking, watching as Roger would go from a world of pain to calm and back again. But then, he saw it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAHH!!! 
> 
> Second chapter finally!!! I'm having so much fun with this already, and I really hope everyone reading this is having fun with it too (happy early valentines everyone, if you don't have a valentine we can all just be each others - I'm lonely too lmao).
> 
> This chapter felt a bit rushed in places to me, but I'm really trying to keep this on it's legs since I can never complete things. The spark for this fic hasn't come near to burning out yet! I'm full to the brim with ideas for it and i hope everyone can continue to want to read this, regardless of my spastic updating time.
> 
> I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out (perhaps in a week, I'm still managing my time and trying to sort out my messy life), but in the mean time I'm happy to answer any questions.
> 
> Sending you all my love, smooches!! xoxo


	3. THREE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of the bathtub scene and the morning that follows, with fluff galore to fill up time and plenty more in the works!

There was a tense silence. Fear, doubt and an abundance of other frightening feelings were swimming around in the air and inside of both Roger and Brian’s minds. Roger was terrified, terrified of what Brian would say to him after looking at his body. God, he felt so disgusting. The soothing sound of running water and the feeling of being _in_ the water didn’t aid him, either. Roger felt like a disgrace, a complete horror. He wasn’t totally out of his mind when he thought this way — some people he had shown had run away screaming! And those were the ones he trusted with his life, let alone this…affliction. But Brian…he just stared.

Roger couldn’t tell if it was shock or complete confusion, but he knew the man wasn’t completely off kilter. “Brian?” He whispered softly, causing the man to snap his neck up to look at him. There was a look in his eye that Roger had never seen before. One of something unrecognisable, it was scary. Brian could still only stare. He had witnessed a strange transformation of the supernatural kind. The sparkle and shimmer of scales over soft pale skin. A blue-green mirage that conjoined Roger’s calves but left his thighs split apart, possibly some form of dynamics? After all, he probably needed to swim like this — Brian stopped his thoughts. How could he think like that? He was acting like this was some sort of experiment. He admitted it was very fascinating and not to mention beautiful, even the person attached was beautiful. His only question was, what in the hell was this? The feelings of fascination were fast to subside into fear, there was so much he didn’t know.

“Please stay, please,” Roger’s tone surprised him, he didn’t realise he had been blankly staring without purpose. Brian shuffled in closer and took Roger’s closest hand in his own. Huh, his hands had grown their own webbing. He looked at him and confirmed his stay with a hard nod. They stayed like that for a moment, Brian knew he needed to relieve the tension. The air felt so thick he wouldn’t be able to cut it with a butter knife. “…You are in my bathroom after all, no point leaving you like this,” He chuckled, thinking that the joke may be slightly inappropriate

considering how vulnerable Roger appeared, but he only chuckled along lightly. A small giggle sent from the heavens. “Good idea, if you weren’t in here I’d steal your food and your hair products,” He laughed, waiting for the inevitable question. “What? Why would you steal my hair products?” Brian played along, tone accusing but face full of playfulness, if it could even be expressed. Roger merely laughed, “I’d love to watch you suffer, is all, your hair would spiral out of control!” He snorted and they both caved into hysterics. It may not have been very funny, but anything to distract from both the fear and worry was good.

The morning hit like a brick. Brian awoke first, neck and back aching from stiffly leaning over the bathtub half the night. He rubbed his neck, almost ready to groan and shoot up to grab the pain relief already sitting on his night stand (restless sleeping before exams had given him stiff muscles more than once). He paused, why was he in the bathroom? The events of the night came back to him and he glanced down to Roger’s legs, no longer scaled or shimmering, they were just normal human legs. There was no water in the bath either, he supposed Roger had drained it before they had fallen asleep. Brian didn’t remember much after their simultaneous laughing fit. He rose up, legs shaking as they were stiff. He took a moment to observe Roger in his sleep. His hair curled around him like a tree’s branchy embrace, eyelashes seemingly longer with his eyes closed, fanned out across his cheeks ever so slightly. His neck was craned backwards, over the lip of the tub. He’d wake up uncomfortable, especially considering he was only in boxers.

Brian, being the smarty pants he is, ventured out into his dorm. Grabbing the blanket off of his bed and putting it over Roger, as well as carefully putting a pillow beneath his neck so he didn’t have to experience too much pain when he awoke. Brian made himself a hot coffee in the kitchen, sipping it as he put a bag of cold peas on his neck for a moment before he heard a small shriek from the bathroom. He dropped the peas and left his coffee, bursting through into the bathroom with wide eyes. Roger stared up at him, clutching the blanket tightly in his hands. “I thought you left,” He sighed with relief, hand over his heart as Brian fondly snorted. “As if, can’t leave you to your own devices, you’re a troublemaker, plotting to steal my hair products and my food…” He rolled his eyes playfully, only rising a small smile out of Roger.

“I’m sorry, Bri, I’m super tired,” He rose a hand to his forehead, ignoring Brian’s tint of pink at the nickname and mimicking what Brian tended to do when he got a headache. “I’m happy to explain this later but…I’d love if I could just…chill on your sofa? I’m probably asking way too much of you,” Brian shook his head, he didn’t care. They were new friends, and this experience would make or break them. Brian wanted it to make them. “Of course you can chill out here, Rog, I don’t have any classes today so stay as long as you’d like,” Usually when making new friends, Brian was never this welcoming. But Roger had already peeled back layers Brian knew he wasn’t just going to forget about. This was going to leave a strong imprint of both of them, and it already had.

“Thank you,” Roger exhaled through his nose loudly, wrapping the blanket around himself as he shifted and attempted to get up. The moment that he almost tripped over his own feet, making a face of simultaneous annoyance and pain, Brian swooped in and helped him. “Don’t need you falling over and hurting yourself,” He said, Roger rolling his eyes as he grabbed Brian’s pillow and somehow kept the blanket up whilst he headed through to the rest of Brian’s small dorm room. “It’s weird, your space seems so much nicer when my head isn’t spinning,” He chuckled mainly to himself and Brian smiled softly, but the statement once again reminded him of the previous night.

“You have a TV near the sofa, thank god,” He wasted no time in settling down onto Brian’s sofa, throwing the pillow down and deciding to move the TV a little closer, not even bothering to ask Brian about it before he paused, glimpsing Brian’s facial expression. “I’m — I’m sorry, I just —,” His eyes went anywhere but to Brian’s. “Nobody has actually stuck around after,” He laughed lamely and Brian’s face morphed into one of pity, never had he felt so strange before but he knew he had to help his recent friend. “It’s not their fault, I can’t really change it, it’s —,” Roger looked about ready to gag, “It’s hideous,”

“On the contrary, I think…I think it was quite beautiful actually,” Brian admitted, shuffling his feet as he waited for Roger’s reaction. The silence was just about unbearable, he had to look up. When he did he saw Roger’s pink tinted cheeks and wide eyes, nobody had called his transformation beautiful except his mother, who he took after, but her compliments never really counted. “Thank you,” He breathed and they exchanged cute smiles with each other before Roger plopped down onto the sofa and shivered, he looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite do it yet. He huffed out another breath and Brian took it upon himself to fetch another blanket and start making some tea (he preferred his coffee, but tea was always a nice way to get cosy).

“Want any sugars in your tea?” Brian asked and Roger perked up, head appearing from the sofa to look at Brian from across the small room. “Yes,” Brian nodded and gestured to the bowl, which made a devilish smirk appear on the drummer’s face. “I’d like one and three sevenths,” Brian hummed non-nonchalantly before he made a double take. “ _How_ many?” He asked again, stirring the tea as Roger once again repeated the absurdly specific quantity. “One and three sevenths,” Brian shook his head with a smile and Roger laid back down onto the sofa without another word but Brian swore he could hear him chortling over there. Being the pure evil he was, Brian put in one sugar and made the effort to put a few more pinches in to count as the three sevenths. He had a feeling that Roger was just joking around, but this would just serve to make the joke funnier.

“Your beverage, sir,” Brian mocked and Roger grinned, mumbling a thank you before immediately gulping down the hot tea. He paused, not to gasp at the still very hot tea, but to make a noise of approval. “One and three sevenths,” Brian chuckled, knowing that they’d definitely be able to get along with each other regardless of the already established unspoken secret. They were able to relax like that for a while. Brian sitting on his casual chair, drinking his coffee whilst revising his physics terms, the sunlight catching on his curls and highlighting some of them. He looked at peace, not at all disturbed by Roger, who felt a bit like an intruder. He felt like he owed Brian a long, detailed explanation of what happened the last night. He felt like he owed his livelihood, he had never felt anything like that before.

Roger leant forward, sipping more on his tea which managed to catch Brian’s attention more than any of Roger’s subtle little looks. He put his tea down and sat up properly, rubbing at his eyes like a child before properly facing Brian with a stern look upon his face. “You deserve to know the details of what happened last night…and more importantly, what’s up with me,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah!
> 
> This took me a while to get done! I'm sorry!! (don't slaughter me please!!!)
> 
> I've had the regular case of writer's block that always hits me right after the second chapter, but luckily I'm in the mood to write again and am ready to get going! 
> 
> Please leave any constructive criticisms below and continue to read this as it updates (whenever that'll be ahah).
> 
> Thank you!!!!


	4. FOUR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roger gives the best he can, and a friend drops by.

Brian straightened up, putting down his book and focusing on Roger, who appeared nervous. Roger fidgeted with his hands, not meeting Brian’s eyes and inhaling deeply before attempting to do anything. The silence that followed was short lived, but Brian noticed how it had become tense.

“So, what you saw in the bathroom isn’t just… _that_ ,” Roger looked at him dead in the eye, Brian straightened up his back and stared back. It was a mutual agreement, not to make any jokes in that moment. They were both setting the serious tone. Especially Roger, who seemed to become more jittery. He kept shifting his hands and almost zoning out and away from Brian. He clearly wasn’t used to having to explain this.

“There’s a lot more to being what I am than just growing scales in funny places on the full moon,” Roger said pointedly, leaning to take a sip of his tea, for confidence. Brian furrowed his brows, a gesture met with a warning look but it wasn’t a joke he was going to propose, but instead his very real curiosity. “So…are you like…how people think of werewolves? You ‘turn’ on the full moon?” Roger nodded, but was rearing up to explain some more.

“Yes, but I can control myself, I don’t want to go out on a rampage,” He deflated onto the sofa almost immediately. “I can’t help myself sometimes though…a creature like me _needs_ to feed sometimes,” Roger was tracing circles onto the teacup with his thumb, baby blues staring directly into the tea as he thought about something that was further away from the conversation. 

“If you don’t mind me asking… _what_ are you?” Brian asked, trying not to hit himself when he saw Roger cringe. “That’s a very…odd question, I am many things,” He started, avoiding the question like it was the plague. “I am a drummer, a vocalist…um…a party-goer, a decent conversationalist —“ He paused, seeing this specific look on Brian’s face that made him smile lightly and actually think about the question.

“Right, this may boggle your mind a little bit…there is no such thing as your traditional Mermaid or Siren, so if that’s what you were thinking you’re wrong,” Roger started, stopping so Brian could catch up mentally. After all, he was human, he hadn’t spent his whole life knowing the intricacies of the creatures that stayed out of the limelight. But now that he knew…there would be a lot of questions. Roger could tell. That and he was in the science building.

“…Okay…please continue,” Roger smiled. “Okay, my species considers ourselves Sea Nymphs, depending on how we choose to live as a Sea Nymph determines whether or not we accept to be called a Siren or Mermaid,” Roger started to become more animated as he started to describe what he considered to be his creature culture. There was a lot to explain, but he was happy to touch upon the basics. Brian stared on with admiration and amusement as he used his hands to emphasise points about Sea Nymphs.

“So, you’re saying that Sirens and Mermaids are essentially the same species?” Roger nodded, the air had settled around them now and it felt way more comfortable to be talking about a somewhat sensitive topic. “That’s…really relieving actually, I thought there would be more intricacies,” He said, referring to the species differences if they were two different things. Roger cackled, but was quick to assure that there are a lot more things about him that are weird.

“Sea Nymphs need water every full moon, that’s the basic instinct, our legs grow scales and it…can be very painful if we don’t actively swim often,” Roger looked guilty and Brian would have pressed, but he knew he could ask that later at a better time. “We don’t always grow full tails, some of us have our thighs joined by the scales and some of us, like me -“ He winked, “- have our calves joined by the scales, neither is more painful but they provide different benefits. A slit in your calves means you’re naturally stronger so you need your calves slit for extra speed in the water, and vice versa,”

“When a Sea Nymph craves blood they can classify as a Siren, but if they don’t they can classify as a Mermaid, there are more differences but you are not totally Siren or Mermaid, so we just call ourselves Sea Nymphs,” Roger was glad that Brian hadn’t run for the hills yet, he was listening attentively in fact. It had surprised him.

“Which are you more like?” Roger gave him a look. “I’m…more on the Siren side, but it’s best if we leave that for another day,” He said, not knowing that he had basically confirmed that they would hang out again to talk about Roger’s creature stuff. The thought made Brian become happier, it wasn’t the creature talk that made him happy, it was hanging out with Roger. 

“I have something to say,” Brian said and Roger perked up, he was ready to say more but if Brian needed to get something out, he wouldn’t stop him. “I think, that you need a place to be every full moon, where you can safely transform,” Brian had clearly taken Roger’s interest as he was seemingly mulling it over. He nodded, but it wasn’t without hesitance. He squinted at Brian, he was inviting him to say what he was going to.

“What do you mean, Bri?” He asked, giving Brian the opportunity to explain himself. “Luckily for you, I know people and places,” Roger rolled his eyes, motioning for Brian to get on with it. “What I’m saying is, that whether you transform in my bath again or wherever else you can manage, I want to help and be there,” Roger didn’t say anything for a moment, but soon Brian found himself embraced by a cold creature.

“Thank you, so much,” Roger said, backing off as he shuddered to himself. He collapsed back onto the sofa and melted into the blankets that were provided for him, he shivered visibly for a bit before he settled down. “It’s fine, it’s all I can do as the only person who knows,” Roger didn’t seem to register his words, so Brian opted to just sit down and let him relax. Really, he had fallen asleep. It seemed odd, but Brian could only chalk it up to being tired after the night’s activities.

As soon as everything seemed to be settling down into a comfortable atmosphere, there was a light knock on the door. Not too aggressive but certainly not dainty and quiet. Brian shot a look over to a stilled Roger, walking over to his door and trying his best not to make noise. He opened it and he cringed as it whined, but he was happy to be greeted by one of his friends from across the pond, Jim Morrison.

“Hey, Bria -“ He started, casual in tone until Brian sternly shushed the older man and gestured to his sofa which only brought up intrigue in Jim. He sauntered in, not removing his iconic sunglasses as he went to peer over at the blonde man on Brian’s sofa. Brian could see him make a face and quietly whisper something, but Brian couldn’t quite catch it.

“What was that?” He snapped, he was used to Jim’s little comments, he may have been a hippie type person, but he could be incredibly annoying. Jim turned around and grinned at him, motioning him over to the side so they could talk a bit clearer. Brian, as ecstatic as he was that he could see Jim for the first time in a few months (Jim often flew over to visit him and his other friends), he was still incredibly nervous and just about ready to collapse onto his bed after having to face the fact that the supernatural exist. He was actually dealing with it quite well.

“Who did you sex up last night?” Jim whispered, a sly little smirk pulling at his lips. Brian rolled his eyes and shoved him away. Of course, Roger was very attractive, physically and mentally, but they barely knew each other. “No! I didn’t ‘ _sex up_ ’ anyone!” Brian scowled, but began to lightly chuckle when he realised that Jim was only trying to rile him up.

“How are you Brian? I haven’t seen you in —“ Brian shushed him, silencing the usually pretty chilled out guy who was ten times more excited than usual upon seeing someone on Brian’s sofa. “I’m good, I’m good, can we meet up later maybe?” The words he said made Jim smirk, nodding lightly as he put his hands up like he was surrendering. He backed off closer to the door, they had done similar before when Brian caught Jim with someone in his actual bed, they don’t speak of that though. “Let me know when you wanna have lunch tomorrow,” Jim said and Brian scrunched up his nose. 

“Who said we were having lunch?” Jim smirked and pointed at Brian as he turned the door handle, a foot out there. “You just did,” He waved as he left Brian’s room and it was soon silent once again. Brian let out a heavy breath, glancing over to Roger laying peacefully on the sofa. He was absolutely serene looking. Brian hoped it could remain this way, peaceful and serene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH, I'm so late.
> 
> I'm really bad at keeping a schedule, but I'm trying to get myself better at getting stuff uploaded on time!
> 
> This chapter is a bit rushed towards the end, I always manage to get off track and come back to something a while later and forget what I was writing... that's what happened essentially.
> 
> Anyway, please leave comments on what I could improve on and build up, and if you have any questions I'm happy to answer! (Of course if they're plot related I don't know if I can give those away, ahah)


	5. FIVE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fluff period before they part for the first time, and it won't be the last.
> 
> **Read the note at the end of this chapter please!!

Roger felt heavenly by the time he was up again. Rays of sunlight passing around the room, not on him, but around him. They highlighted the homely details of Brian’s place. It made everything seem warm and welcoming, and Roger loved it. Love was a strong word for Roger, but he loved the feeling of absorption into the sunny atmosphere that had settled that afternoon. With a content sigh, he cracked open his eyes once again and took everything in. This place felt safe, considering that Brian hadn’t left him or kicked him out was astounding. He was so happy at the result. 

 

He hadn’t noticed Brian draped over his armchair, but that was where he was snoozing peacefully. he must have been watching Roger for a while, he could understand that. Roger gazed over at him, he wasn’t sure why he stared for so long, but sometimes it was nice to observe what he couldn’t already with his natural enhancements. Generally, looking was much more fun than just seeing with his other senses. Originally, Sea Nymphs lived deep down in the ocean, where their vision excelled. But up above the water, they lacked good eyesight. Roger didn’t tend to care about it, he could still see good enough to not be considered blind. 

 

From where he sat, Brian looked uncomfortable, but okay. His hair was a mess, which was expected, but the curly ringlets spilled out along the edges of the chair he was slipping down, which glinted in the sun with every breath. Roger could see the light flutter of his eyelashes as they danced across his cheeks, _he must be dreaming_ , Roger thought. For a moment he wondered what he could be dreaming about, and his mind tried to make him think about how he’d feel if Brian was dreaming about him. He sighed, resting his head back on the side cushions, feeling his hair kink up but he didn’t care. Roger could only continue to look on at Brian, breath slowing down to something calm as he just lay down and thought about anything. He didn’t have a plan, what was he supposed to say to him when he got up? This had never happened before. Brian seemed to accept it so simply, though all the dramas he watched made everything seem like a big deal. Even the trivial things.

 

With a new spurt of energy, he supposed it was coming back to him after the full moon, he carefully and quietly rose from his spot on the sofa and shuffled into the kitchen area. It may have been an open kitchen, but at least he could be a little bit louder without irritating Brian. He huffed at himself when he realised the blanket was gone, but the moment he grabbed for it on the sofa he noticed that he was just fine without. Instead, he laid it over Brian, perhaps it could give him some extra comfort. 

 

Roger made his way through the kitchen with his sniffer high in the air, searching for exactly what he needed to surprise his new friend. It had barely been twenty four hours, but he felt incredibly close to Brian already. It could have been the fact that he had stayed with him, and that he had been so damn genuine and kind. Roger couldn’t have imagined anyone ever being that kind to him, at one point he suspected that Tim thought there was something up with him, but Tim didn’t read into anything, so Roger was safe on that angle. He just felt swept off of his  ~~ fins ~~ feet, he had never felt that kind of kindness towards his ‘affliction’. The very thought managed to motivate Roger to grab some bread from wherever he had found it, get jam from the cupboard and make some sandwiches for Brian and himself. Screw it, he began to make some herbal tea too, with his specific amount of sugar in his designated cup and an alright amount in the other. He paused, would Brian even like it? Would Brian even like it that Roger, a pretty much stranger with an odd affliction, decided to make him food and tea? He was fooling himself.

 

He sipped at his tea with a blank look in his eyes, he was too busy thinking to register how hot it was on his tongue. Roger tiptoed over to where Brian was napping, standing above him in what could be called creepy. But he looked for only a moment before putting down the sandwich and tea that he had made for them both. There was a kind of hesitance to his next movements, his arm outstretched as he carefully shook Brian’s arm. Brian shifted his weight and turned his head, but clearly was still in the depths of sleep. 

 

“Brian!” Roger whispered, shaking his arm a little harder this time, which caused him to snap open his eyes and drearily regard his surroundings. Relief surfaced in Brian’s form and he relaxed visibly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and giving Roger a small smile. “What’s all this?” He cleared his throat and Roger grinned nervously, chuckling to himself as he glanced over at the little breakfast snack he had put together. “I uh, made tea and sandwiches,” Brian smiled, warmth radiating from him like he was the sun. Brian’s hand moved over and hovered over Roger’s tea, which was mistakenly put closer to Brian. “That’s my tea!” Roger said and Brian paused, mug midway to his mouth, he shrugged off Roger’s claim and barely sipped it and immediately made a face.

 

“That’s…disgustingly sweet,” Brian swapped the teas automatically, giving Roger a joking look which was received with a glad, but awkward, smile. They both settled into a comfortable silence, sipping at their teas and munching away on their sandwiches. It was only a little while longer that Roger got himself up, Brian watching him carefully as he traipsed into the bathroom. There was a pause, some shuffling noises before Roger came back out in the previous night’s attire. 

 

“I stink of weed,” He wrinkled his noise, his complaint definitely valid considering even Brian got a hot whiff of it. Roger rolled his shoulders, smiling at Brian. “I’m…gonna go back to my dorm room,” He said, the sudden awkwardness of a new friendship coming upon them. Besides knowing about Roger’s so called ‘affliction’ and their shared musical interest, there wasn’t much else they knew about one another. Maybe they had rushed this almost intimacy, Roger didn’t let just anyone see him on a full moon. He supposed they had a bond to begin with.

 

“Alright, uh — “ Brian scrambled, reaching for his phone and giving Roger a hopeful smile. He looked down at his phone, a moment of clarity shining through those iridescent eyes of his. “Ah, yeah, my phone number,” He shook his head, as if laughing at himself before they exchanged numbers. “I'll see you at the next band meet up then,” Roger chuckled, already opening the door. Brian smiled, waving him off before he input his strange new friend’s number. He typed out a message quickly, a new interest blooming in his chest. There was a change around the corner, and he could feel it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAH. It's been an unbearably long time since I've uploaded a chapter to this fic,, i'm so sorry omg.
> 
> I've been completely unmotivated for a bit (mental health no good) and have had no writing drive for months but time away always makes me come back to it, so expect more somewhat sporadic chapters. I'm going to aim for one per month but it depends, I may just throw some out during the months if they're done. I'm not very scheduled as you can see haha.
> 
> Anyhow, a lot has changed. I've read over my last few chapters and I will definitely revise them at some point, most of these chapters are first drafts so they aren't anywhere near perfect - which is why I cherish any and all input and advice any of you have! Feel free to leave a comment telling me what's good, bad and needs some ironing out! I'm not afraid of the heavy criticism! 
> 
> Thank you for patiently waiting, I promise that I'm not going to ditch for a couple of months unless I say so in one of these notes, haha.


	6. SIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fated pair meet once again,  
> sharing looks now and then;  
> Development comes in more,  
> it may be filler but it's no bore.
> 
> A poem to be edgy, anyway, the fated pair meet again and have drinks at some coffee place.

A few long days had passed since Brian and Roger saw each other again, seemingly at random out in the highstreet. They both had the same plan of getting tea or coffee at a small shop, then going to the rental room to practice as a band. Of course, everything was already set up, already ready. It would be difficult for Roger to haul an entire drum kit half way across town, even if he did have a natural helping hand. 

“Oh, Roger,” Brian’s voice was something strange in the hazy shop environment, sharper and more worthy of attention than coffee. Roger was quick to turn to him, drinking in his appearance like the caffeine he was craving. In a normal situation, Brian probably wouldn’t stand out to him like this, but for some reason he seemed out of place in the cafe. 

“Hi,” He croaked, clearing his throat quickly. He _really_ craved some caffeine. “Hi Bri,” He repeated,moving closer to the counter in the line, Brian following behind him. They rested in a silence for a few minutes, though not uncomfortable, they were both acutely aware of it. “What are you getting?” Roger asked, and that was the beginning of a smooth conversation that lasted up until they reached the cashier.

“What can I get you?” She asked with that classic retail smile. “Uh, caramel latte for me and iced tea for this guy,” Roger answered, shooting a glance at Brian who gave him a nudge, whether it meant _thanks_ or _what the fuck_ , Roger wasn’t about to ask. “Alrighty, that’s six pounds ninety-eight,” She said, and Roger was quick to fish into his pocket and giver her an ever so slightly crumpled fiver and two pound coins. 

“Roger,” There was a pang of guilt in the air, Roger noted, he assumed Brian wanted to pay, but he wasn’t about to let that happen. Roger was indebted to the man, after that fateful night. “I’ll pay you the change…” He grumbled, he knew Roger wouldn’t let him pay in full, perhaps it was obvious. Roger said nothing however, getting his two pence change and going to a small table to sit down. Brian shuffled over and sat across from him, going into his pockets to look around for his wallet, Roger thought.

“No, no, no, it’s fine, Brian,” Roger said, hovering his hand over Brian’s arm as if he was going to abruptly drag it out of his pocket. “I need to repay you somehow, starting small with iced tea seems like a good first try,” He chuckled, Brian gave him an incredulous look. “You don’t need to pay me anything, Roger,” Roger gave him a look, like he was going nuts, though the impact of the words still landed. 

“You helped me through a tough time, I ought to repay you for that,” He said slowly, looking at Brian with these wide eyes, letting him know that he wouldn’t just _not_ act grateful. Between them both, they were both hoping this wouldn’t turn into a long running issue, especially now that Brian was going to help him through every full moon. “You don’t have to,” Brian said softly, locking his fingers together on the table, it made him look like some sort of primary school teacher but Roger wouldn’t tell him that. 

There was a short stare down that occurred. Both staring the other down for this ridiculous argument. Though it was quick to break as Roger perked up, he stood and gave Brian one long look. “I’m going to get the drinks,” He announced, going off towards the cashier once again. The parting left them both to think about that. It may have seemed small, because it was, but it was still impactful. Roger knew that this would be weird going forward, nobody but himself and now Brian knew about his ailment, of course the little family he actually trusted with things had their thoughts about what did on moony nights but he had never told them. Being related didn’t mean they were going to automatically ignore it.

Roger collected the drinks, going back to the small table and placing them down, coming face to face with Brian again. It was like a shock every time he saw him, he expected to get comments about his species and be berated like the small few who had done so before him. It was…calming to know that Brian wasn’t throwing digs at him, and that he was backing off enough to not smother him. Though Roger knew that he still had questions.

“Your tea, fine sir,” He grinned, sliding over Brian’s tea and watching the other go from a split second of lanky-person-panic to skilled-tea-catcher. Roger sat down into his chair, relaxing immediately when he tasted one of his preferred beverages. 

“Thanks,” Brian replied, also sipping at his tasty drink. And with their previous topic doused out, he was free to ask some questions he had been sitting on. “Rog, you said the other night that if you don’t swim often it’s sore to transform…” He started, and if he didn’t know any better he would have stopped at Roger’s shorter-person-panic, but he didn’t. “…so I was wondering, how come you can’t find time to transform at least once a week,” Brian knew how the moon worked, but without counting that, once a week sounded pretty survivable. He wouldn’t know personally, but he could at least ask.

Roger sighed, he had expected that question. Though when he thought he would expand on it _later on_ , he didn’t realise later on meant right now. “I just…don’t have the time,” He shrugged, it was a really shitty excuse but what else could he provide. “I’m always busy with something, or someone'll needs me for something, I don’t take baths all that often so I can’t transform unless I want to start taking baths in the early hours,” He sipped at his drink, gauging Brian’s reaction.

He leaned back, a bit shocked and honestly worried for Roger’s wellbeing at this point. He seemed like a perfect cluster-fuck, a genuinely nice guy with too much on his too small plate. “That’s such shit,” He breathed, getting upset for who he now declared was his close friend. “How you survive is a mystery to me,” He said, which gained a small quirk of the corner of Roger’s mouth. He didn’t know how he did it either. 

“I’m going to help you sort it anyway, as your honorary in-the-know friend,” Brian nodded, already committed to this plan. Roger shook his head, though Brian didn’t notice as he began speaking again. “Listen, please dedicate time to transform often, often enough to get by without pain,” Brian said, ignoring Roger’s pleading look. _You don’t have to_ , he wanted to say, because he knew if he felt better about this he’d already be dedicating time to transform. 

“And _please_ be a little bit selfish, you do deserve good treatment you know, just because you happen to be a fish out of water doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve happiness,” Roger reacted more strongly to this, not because of the fish out of water phrase but because he had totally been psychoanalysed in the few minutes where he paid for their drinks. 

“I was being friendly today, can I not be friendly to my friends? You’re a refreshingly decent person and believe it or not, maybe _you_ deserve a little bit of repayment for that, if not from me then from anyone you’ve ever been unnecessarily nice to,” Roger narrowed his eyes, it didn’t seem to catch Brian too off guard, but it was obviously like being slapped in the face. They were both craving a human connection, both desperate for someone who might understand even a little bit. 

Brian didn’t say anything, he stared back, which began to unnerve Roger because as far as he knew nobody really put up with Roger’s habit of staring with this big ‘I am right, you know I am, i don’t care about your arguments,’ look in his eyes. He sighed, finally, looking down at his cup. “Okay, I’ll start to treat myself with respect and I’ll dedicate time for transforming, and you can lay off having to be nice to everyone for no valid reason,” Roger stated, and they both nodded promptly.

“I like being nice to people, you know,” Brian started.

“Not everyone is a good person, Bri, not everyone has good in them, is this a deal or no deal?”

There was a lapse of silence.

“Deal,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A mainly filler chapter, but it will pick up during the next one as we see Tim again!
> 
> so far it's been a bit messy, personally i've been a bit messy but it's getting a bit better - getting out of that writing funk. i actually quite like this chapter, so hopefully you lot did too! please leave your criticisms in the comments and let me know what you think!
> 
> also! i'm so surprised that people have actually read something i've written and have enjoyed it enough to leave kudos and comments, every single hit/read or whatever has made me so happy! i keep thinking i'm hallucinating the number of hits! it's almost at 1000,i think we'll reach it with this chapter (i hope). thank you for reading, i really really really appreciate it!


End file.
